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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23793655">An Oblivious Sorcerer and Obvious Magic</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alonasin/pseuds/Alonasin'>Alonasin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arthur Finds Out About Merlin’s Magic (Merlin), Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Canonical Character Death, Episode 10 is like half of the fic, Episode: s01e10 The Moment of Truth, M/M, Magic Revealed, Merlin doesn’t know that Arthur knows, Minor Character Death, Oblivious Merlin (Merlin), Season/Series 01, Smart Arthur Pendragon, You could probably guess the character death based on the last few tags</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 06:08:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,734</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23793655</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alonasin/pseuds/Alonasin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After witnessing Merlin use magic during Arthur’s fight with Valiant, Arthur is shocked to see how obvious Merlin is with his magic over the next few months. Even more shocking, Merlin thinks that Arthur somehow doesn't know.<br/>-<br/>Or the one where Merlin is oblivious to the fact that Arthur knows about his magic.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>627</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>An Oblivious Sorcerer and Obvious Magic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was originally supposed to be around 4k words but kinda just got out of hand and turned into 10k words... anyways I've only watched up to about the second episode of season 2 so far (though I know mostly everything that happens after 🙃) so this will only be during season 1. This fic basically just came from me being confused about how Arthur did not notice Merlin using his magic in front of him almost every episode and me telling myself in my head that maybe just maybe Arthur isn't that blind and is just a really good secret keeper :)))</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur couldn’t tell if he had finally lost his mind or if Merlin was just overly stupid. Or maybe it had just been the adrenaline pumping through Arthur’s veins and the thrill of battle that caused the prince to catch a blur of gold over where his manservant’s eyes were supposed to be. His manservant’s blue eyes. Definitely not gold on a normal daily basis. So yes, maybe it could’ve been a trick of the light if it were not for a snake then coming out of his opponent’s shield right after Merlin was mumbling to himself and his eyes seemed to hold a golden glow. If Arthur wasn’t so occupied with trying to kill a magical snake before it killed him, maybe just maybe, he could’ve looked in Merlin’s direction just a little longer and see if Arthur was starting to lose his eyesight or if Merlin truly was stupid and using magic... in a public tournament... where everyone could see... including his father... who would burn anyone who just uttered the word of magic.</p><p>Though if he was right, it would make sense. It would make sense how Arthur could not land a single hit on Merlin during their first meeting as he found himself tripping on what seemed like empty air. It would make sense how Merlin had somehow sped to save Arthur’s life when no one else could on that fateful night a couple of days ago when he became his manservant. It would make sense how Merlin came to the conclusion Valiant had snakes in his shield as ridiculous as that had sounded at the time. Multiple incidents would make sense, that was true. But also, a few mere situations that lined up with the accusation of magic did not mean Merlin out of all people was a sorcerer.</p><p>Arthur could not tell which of the two of them had the thick skull at the moment but that should’ve been the least of his concerns as his sword sliced through the snake’s head. He could deal with his potentially magical, potentially absurdly dense manservant later. For now he had a battle against a man on a mission to kill him.<br/>
----<br/>
Merlin was an idiot. He was an utter idiot. That or Arthur really had gone nuts and was hallucinating Merlin saying he was a sorcerer right to his father. The same man who would have him burned on the pyre for that statement. The silence and shocked faces of everyone around the room that happened in reaction would’ve been quite amusing in almost any other situation if it weren’t for the fact that Merlin was just asking to be burned alive. Arthur was starting to regret his decision of never saying anything to Merlin about the whole magic eye incident after the tournament a few days ago. Maybe if he had already reprimanded Merlin for being so obvious with his magic, the sorcerer in question wouldn’t be spouting what he could only hope, for Merlin’s sake, was nonsense about him being the one to heal Guinevere’s father. That was if Merlin had magic. If. In seconds, Uther was ordering his guards to arrest Merlin as Arthur looked at Merlin with a bewildered look before he spoke. </p><p>“Father please, I can’t allow this. This is madness. There’s no way Merlin is a sorcerer.” Though Arthur only half believed the words that came out of his mouth. The way Merlin’s eyes lit up during his battle with Valiant… that was unnatural. Arthur just needed a little more proof, a couple more glances at the golden hue of his eyes before he could claim for himself that Merlin was a sorcerer. A dumb one at best, but still a sorcerer at the end of the day.</p><p>“Did you not hear him?” Uther’s question broke through Arthur’s thoughts. Arthur turned to defend him. </p><p>“He saved my life, remember?”</p><p>“Why should he fabricate such a story?” </p><p>The silence filled the room again as a panic slowly built up in Arthur because he knew deep down that there was no fabricated story, no matter how much he could try to convince himself Merlin had no magical abilities and nothing to do with Tom being miraculously healthy again. That Merlin was the one who had only used magic for good so far as perplexing as that was. He saw it with his own eyes and just heard Merlin admit to it. What more evidence could he get? Something so evil as magic used for such a good deed, it didn’t make sense. But that still left the question of what Arthur should do. Should he just leave his father’s question be and let Merlin be sent to the pyre? No. That was out of the question. As much as Arthur did not like magic, he still liked his manservant loads more than magic though he would never say it to the boy’s face. Banish him? No. Who would scrub his armor if Merlin left? It would seem that Arthur would have to cover up for Merlin’s stupid behavior in that case if he wanted him to stay. Plus where would Merlin even go if he were to be banished? Did he have any loved ones out of Camelot? Wait… loved ones… love... </p><p>“He’s in love,” Arthur announced, internally applauding himself for coming up with a lie in a matter of seconds. “With Gwen,” he added on for good measure, knowing that was an even bigger lie. It was more of the opposite he thought to himself, if anything it was Guinevere giving Merlin the secret warm glances while Merlin just stared in Arthur’s direction for some odd unknown reason. It was probably just a thing idiotic sorcerers did.</p><p>“I am not!” Merlin retaliated in shock. </p><p>“Yes you are,” Arthur shot back at him, giving him a glare that he hoped conveyed the message of ‘shut up, I’m trying to save you from becoming a human candle’. Of course Merlin being the idiot that he was, completely disregarded the look and continued to argue with Arthur.</p><p>“It’s alright, you can admit it,” Arthur said back as he went over to Merlin and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, feeling his nerves starting to finally calm down.</p><p>“Perhaps she cast a spell on you.” Oh, and there were Arthur’s nerves going back up again. He could feel Merlin turn deadly still under his arm at Uther’s words. Well shit, what was Arthur going to have to say next to drag Merlin out of the hole he just kept digging himself deeper and deeper into? Before Arthur could find another lie to break the silence, Uther and the rest of the room began to laugh. Arthur let out a sigh of relief before feeling Merlin become a little less tense under his arm. After Arthur gave off a little laugh too he spoke once again.<br/>
“Merlin is a wonder, but the wonder is that he’s such an idiot.” Arthur made sure to turn his head and look straight into those blue eyes before he said his next words with much less light heartedness. He would make sure Merlin would get the message from his eyes this time.<br/>
“There’s no way he’s a sorcerer.”<br/>
‘You’re a sorcerer. Don’t be stupid and don’t let them know that.’<br/>
----<br/>
Merlin didn’t get the message. He either most definitely did not read the look in Arthur’s eyes hours before or was on a suicide mission. Or maybe Arthur was just hallucinating the whole day and soon enough he’d be in Gaius’s office getting treated for an illness which makes you think your manservant is a blasted sorcerer. Whichever the case, Arthur’s eyes witnessed the flame on his torch grow much bigger and suddenly move closer to the afanc he, Morgana, and Merlin were fighting under the castle in order to fix their corrupted water supply. And if Arthur’s eyesight wasn’t enough to see the flame travel way further than it should’ve from the torch, his hearing just clarified it. Merlin definitely said something magical loud and clear enough for both Morgana and Arthur to hear. Hell, if anyone else was in the cave they could’ve heard it. What was Merlin thinking? What if Morgana heard? She could report Merlin right to Uther and it’d be over. Though, Arthur didn’t know if he could imagine Morgana doing something quite like that. And Arthur himself. If Arthur had been any less of a man, he could report Merlin also. He was the king’s son for crying out loud!</p><p>Arthur took his eyes off of the burning monster and looked behind him only to see Merlin and Morgana breathing out exhausted breaths. Did Morgana somehow not hear Merlin? No, she had to have heard him. It wasn’t like Merlin was being discreet. But Arthur could not catch one look of suspicion on Morgana’s face. Rather a smile was climbing up as her and Merlin celebrated their victory. Arthur’s brows drew together in bemusement. Did Morgana already know? Did Merlin know that Morgana knew? Did he know that Arthur knew? Wait… was Merlin even hiding his magic? Was Merlin being a sorcerer just common knowledge? No, that couldn’t be right. Or could it? There could be no other explanation for Merlin being so obvious with his magic. Yes, that had to be it. Merlin trusted him and Morgana enough to keep his secret. Maybe Merlin wasn’t as dumb as he thought he was and really did read Arthur’s eyes earlier that day. Arthur let himself smile as he joined in on Merlin and Morgana’s joyful mood.<br/>
----<br/>
Arthur took back that statement of Merlin not being dumb. He was still very dumb. Of course he would be the one to get himself almost fatally poisoned. Who else would it be other than Merlin? Merlin the secret wizard who most likely had the powers to unpoision - or whatever spells do - the poison in the cup and everyone could just get on with their days. But no, Merlin had to down the substance like he was at the tavern on a regular Friday night. Sorcerers may have not been Arthur’s favorite type of people but he still would never wish Merlin to be poisoned. Not at all. And of course Arthur would be the one stuck in a cave with deadly spiders trying to find a flower he was half convinced wasn’t even in the cave. It would be just his luck to be stuck on a wall in the pitch darkness, dangling over what seemed like an endless void. Maybe his father was a little right. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone to the cave, or at least went with some help. But Merlin, he had to save Merlin. He couldn’t let Merlin die. He wouldn’t let Merlin burn on the pyre and he wouldn’t let him die from being poisoned by some stupid sorceress. Yes, maybe his father was right about it being dangerous to get the cure but he was wrong about one thing. Merlin wasn’t just a servant, he was Arthur’s friend and the person who treated Arthur with some sense of normalcy over the past couple of weeks he had known him, treated him like he was a person and not the future king. He treated him like he was just Arthur. Sorcerer or not, Merlin was worth risking his life for, even if that life was about to be cut short. Hopefully someone would notice Arthur’s absence and be able to journey out to search for the cure.</p><p>       With his last wish being that Merlin would be able to somehow get the cure and live on even if Arthur couldn’t, he closed his eyes and waited for the spiders to inevitably tear into his flesh. But before any pain arose, a bright blue light shone through the crack between his eyelids. Arthur suddenly opened his eyes in confusion then relief when he saw a bright blue light shining right over a flower. The mortaeus flower! Arthur quickly scrambled up to the light and picked the flower. On closer inspection that light looked pretty magical… like it could’ve came from a certain sorcerer who was dumb and casually drinks poison. With a smile, Arthur followed the light that was now leading him out of the cave, making himself a mental note to thank Merlin later. </p><p>When Arthur finally was able to visit Merlin afterwards, he made sure to say it. Made sure to let Merlin know that he was thankful for his help as surprising as that was coming from someone like Arthur. And when Merlin just gave a puzzled face back at his thanks, he paid it no mind. Appearances, Arthur had to remind himself. Gauis was right behind them and Merlin couldn’t let his secret get out. He’d hopefully find time later in the day (he never ended up finding some) to talk to Merlin privately about the helpful light. For now Arthur just gave a wink back to let Merlin know he understood before walking out of the physician’s office and leaving a very confused Merlin and Gaius.<br/>
----<br/>
Arthur was the stupid one. The realization really hit him when the griffin swatted one of his men away and no magic was coming to help the knights out. It might’ve been too much to assume that Merlin and Arthur had some unspoken agreement over the secrecy of Merlin’s magic over the month after Merlin was poisoned. Maybe, just maybe, Merlin really was just careless and thought his magic was still just a big secret. Did Merlin even have magic? No, he had to have magic. Arthur heard it, Arthur saw it… just not at the same time. Sure there was that one day while he was fighting Valiant but how sure could he be that Merlin’s eyes were gold and it wasn’t just the sunlight shining on to his eyes. When had he ever actually seen Merlin cast a spell? How had he known it was Merlin who made the fire that killed the afanc? What if he was just hearing things? Arthur shook his head and shouted an order to his knights. This was not the time to think over his friend’s potentially non-existent magical abilities. After a successful string of attacks - or as successful non magical attacks against a magical creature could be - the griffin retreated into the woods, leaving time for Arthur and his knights to recuperate for a while before they went back to attack the griffin.</p><p>	During the second attack, Arthur’s luck might’ve just ran out. The attacks were going wrong right as they began. The first knight struck at the griffin... he was slammed into a tree. The next one struck... he was sent into the air. The third one struck and was sent somewhere way beyond Arthur’s line of vision. Soon enough, Arthur was the only one left. If there was any confirmation Merlin didn’t have magic, this was it. Either that or he really just had a death wish for Arthur now but, Arthur found himself strongly doubting that second option. Maybe he didn't believe in the good of magic but, he found himself believing in Merlin more often than not these days. If Merlin had magic, Arthur wouldn’t be about to be sent to his death at that very moment. The prince applied more pressure to the grip of his sword and charged at the beast. If he was going to go out, he’d go out fighting this thing. With one swipe, Arthur was sent flying before his vision turned black and everything went silent.</p><p>	When he came to, his head an aching mess and an obnoxious ringing in his ears, he couldn’t help but notice he was somehow still alive. Yes, it felt like he was just punched by an oversized flying lion but still alive. Arthur slowly looked up to see the griffin dead and Lancelot nearby with a lance. One with less knowledge might have assumed that Lancelot had extraordinary combat skills and struck down the griffin but Arthur was one with a little more knowledge in the expertise of Merlin and his magic. He had thought to himself before getting knocked out that if Merlin had magic, he wouldn’t let Arthur die. And there Arthur was alive. Maybe, just maybe Merlin really did have magic. And maybe just maybe, Arthur was supposed to know. As Arthur slowly stood himself up, Merlin threw him a bright smile that filled Arthur with a warm energy he didn’t even know he had to get up faster.</p><p>	“Look at what, Lancelot did! He struck down the griffin!” Arthur smiled in response as he walked over to the knight and the probably - no, definite - sorcerer. </p><p>“Great job, Lancelot. I was wrong for doubting you before,” Arthur praised Lancelot but kept his eyes right on Merlin, hoping he could get the message for once and realize his words were truly meant for Merlin.<br/>
----<br/>
Arthur was pretty sure that if Merlin knew that he knew, he would’ve come up to Arthur with a magical solution by now. Maybe Uther was quick to throw away Gaius and replace him with Edwin, but Arthur wouldn’t be as trusting. What highly suspicious man who just magically shows up right at the time to save Uther’s ward from a mysterious yet fatal illness has good intentions? Arthur had come to learn over the time he had known about Merlin’s magic that things didn’t magically happen unless magic was involved. Sure Edwin could heal Morgana and he’d be thankful, but he would most definitely not be thankful if he purposely set Gaius up to look like a bad physician.</p><p>	So when Arthur stood outside of Morgana’s chambers as Edwin treated her, he half expected Merlin to just out right say what magical solution Edwin was doing. Or at the least if Merlin didn’t know what Edwin was doing, to at least acknowledge some sort of magic. It wasn’t like anyone else was around to hear. It was just Merlin and Arthur. Arthur and Merlin standing in the hallway alone. Arthur’s heart started to speed up at that for some reason. The anticipation he told himself. His heartbeat was speeding up because he was waiting for Merlin to say something, anything about his magic to Arthur, to let him know that he knew his secret was trusted with Arthur. His heart was definitely not going sixty miles per hour due to just the nervousness of the two of them in the hallway. Definitely not. It was strictly because Arthur was waiting for Merlin just to acknowledge the magic. Almost as if he could feel Arthur’s gaze on him, Merlin looked over to Arthur.</p><p>	“What is it? You keep on staring.” He asked, his face ridden with confusion.</p><p>	“How do you think he’s doing it?” Arthur asked. It looked like he would have to be the one to start this conversation. Of course he would. Merlin was a lazy manservant, why wouldn’t he also make Arthur do the work in discussing their common known knowledge?<br/>
“Uh… I don’t know. Gaius and I couldn’t figure it out,” he simply said as he shrugged. Arthur frowned. It was most likely that his first thoughts when the griffin attacked were right. Merlin probably didn’t know that Arthur knew. But still, Arthur had to see. To be sure of this.</p><p>	“Merlin, I meant magic. Do you think he’s using magic?” Arthur asked, annoyance lacing his voice now. Merlin visibly tensed up for a moment before relaxing.</p><p>	“Again, I don't know. What does it matter to you, though? Are you going to burn him up on the pyre after all of this?” Merlin asked suddenly defensively. Arthur crossed his arms and glared.</p><p>	“It matters because I just want to know,” he argued back.</p><p>	“Well if he is using magic, you’d never know. It’s not like he’d let you know of all people. You’re literally the son of the king who burns everyone with a spec of magic!” Merlin responded, his voice rising. Arthur had a quick thought that maybe Merlin wasn’t referring to Edwin anymore but he pushed it away to counter back to Merlin.</p><p>	“Merlin, could you shut up! I just wanted to know, that was it,” Arthur turned his line of vision away from Merlin and decided to look at the wall instead. A murmured “royal prat” was all that came from his friend’s direction before the hallway went silent once more. Arthur realized two things from that argument: 1. Merlin definitely did not know about Arthur’s knowledge of his magic and 2. Merlin wasn’t planning on telling Arthur about it anytime soon as long as he thought Arthur was going to burn up any magic users.</p><p>	“I wouldn’t tell my father, I don’t think,” Arthur softly said that he doubted Merlin could hear it.</p><p>	“Huh?” Merlin turned his head to look over at Arthur again.</p><p>	“I wouldn’t tell my father if I found out he was using magic to heal Morgana. That is if he had completely good intentions,” Arthur repeated louder, his words slightly shocking to his own ears. Yes over the past month and a half he was fine with Merlin having magic but it was Merlin. Merlin, the servant who wouldn’t hurt a fly, the servant who was fiercely loyal to Arthur in his own dumb way, the friend who Arthur would be able to trust with anything at the end of the day. But magic wasn’t Merlin. He hadn’t trusted magic, at least he thought so. Somewhere during the time he had known Merlin, the line must’ve blurred between his trust for Merlin and his acceptance towards magic. He just couldn’t bring himself to hate magic in that very moment in the hallway as he stood next to Merlin, awaiting his answer to see what he’d say to that.</p><p>	“Oh, that’s… that’s nice. Yeah, that’s nice,” was all Merlin said. Arthur looked over, an irritated reply about Merlin’s simple response on the tip of his tongue, when he noticed Merlin’s smile. Opting to not get annoyed with Merlin just this once, Arthur returned the smile. Merlin’s soft expression was more than enough of a response.</p><p>----<br/>
Merlin must've thought Arthur was some sort of idiot. And maybe Arthur actually one for the fact that he was playing along. If Arthur thought the fire incident with the afanc was obvious then what was this situation? It was basically Merlin just coming out and saying ‘Hey Arthur, lookie here, I have magic!’ It would be so simple to just tell Merlin to stop making the keys float and to just grab them but where would the fun be in that? It’s not like Arthur didn’t know what the keys were going to be used for anyways. Did Merlin and Morgana really make him out to be that much of a fool to not connect the dots and figure out they were hiding the druid boy that the entirety of the castle guard was looking for? It would be obvious to anyone with a working brain in this situation that the two of them were about to sneak the druid boy out and Merlin needed to grab Arthur’s keys.  But Arthur had already acted oblivious to the situation, he was committed now. Sucking up his dignity with the hope that he could make fun of Merlin at a later time for being so oblivious,  Arthur turned his head in the complete opposite direction of the keys.</p><p>	“Merlin, do you hear that?” He asked feigning confusion.</p><p>	“Hear what, sire?” Merlin asked, holding back a snicker. Arthur’s mouth set into a straight line. Merlin was really getting a kick out of this, huh? Arthur just kept on reminding himself that it’d be worth it to see the look on Merlin’s face the day he finally revealed to Arthur who he was.</p><p>	“It’s a um, it’s a ringing noise,” Arthur explained as he made a motion with his hand. He turned his head to the other side with just enough speed that it looked realistic but not too fast that Merlin wouldn’t be able to move the key in time.</p><p>	“Nope, don’t hear it,” Merlin kept on going as he moved the keys to himself.</p><p>	“Ugh, how do you not hear it? It’s right in my ear!” Arthur hissed, waiting for the key to move away from his head before swatting at a spot next to his ear.</p><p>	“I don’t know, sire. But, I better get going,” Merlin hurriedly said after he finally got the keys as far as Arthur could assume. Arthur waited for him to run out of the room before Arthur banged his head on the table. He was so stupid. He was supposed to be the prince, the future king, the courageous leader of the knights of Camelot, not some fool who enables the magical tricks of a blockheaded sorcerer. Rubbing his head, Arthur got up and prepared to patrol for the druid boy, though he highly doubted him or any other members of the patrol was ever going to find the boy. With Merlin’s magical abilities and the keys, him and Morgana would definitely not be caught. It would be almost impossible, right?<br/>
----<br/>
Arthur needed to accept that he was becoming more and more wrong about any idea of Merlin’s magic. Arthur was only so close to just ending his pain of seeing such stupidity and  stabbing himself with the sword he was holding when he encountered Morgana and the druid boy. He just wanted to find Merlin, shake him by the shoulders, and ask him how exceptionally stupid he must be to have Morgana and the boy get caught by multiple guards. When he was finally brought into the loop of things the second time around of trying to save the boy, he made sure to let Merlin know.</p><p>	“Merlin, are you thick? How do you let the boy you’re trying to save end up in the dungeons!” Arthur hissed the moment Morgana walked out of his chambers.</p><p>	“Hey! We were trying!” He retaliated.</p><p>	“Merlin sometimes I wonder if you could get any stupider. There had to have been an easier way,” Arthur continued on, frustratedly dragging a hand through his hair.</p><p>	“Oh really, then please let me know what simpler solution there was, sire,” Merlin responded, letting ‘sire’ fall out of his mouth with a sneer. Arthur right there in that moment just wanted to yell at Merlin. Just yell out for him to use that supid magic of him. He solved everything else with it, why not use it this time? It would be so easy just to let Merlin know that Arthur knew way more than he let on. Arthur opened his mouth to say it, the words were right there, he just had to push the air out. But for a sudden unknown reason he closed his mouth shut and just pressed it into an annoyed frown. If Merlin wasn’t going to tell him, then Merlin wasn’t going to tell him. He trusted him, if there was a reason he wasn’t telling Arthur then Arthur was going to respect that.</p><p>	“Nevermind, there’s no use to worrying about it now,” Arthur decided on saying instead as he felt himself becoming less and less aggravated by the second. “There’s nothing any of us can do to change that night now.” Merlin gave Arthur a concerned look as the two sat in that silence that made Arthur’s heartbeat speed up as of late.</p><p>	“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I really did think things would work,” Merlin quietly apologized as he looked at the ground.</p><p>	“Well, we have tonight. Let’s make sure we all do things right,” Arthur said as he looked over at Merlin and Merlin lifted his gaze up from the ground to Arthur’s eyes. Weirdly enough, Arthur found himself wanting to see Merlin’s eyes change from blue to that bright gold again. And even weirder, the thought of that shining gold brought an unexplainable warm knot to Arthur’s stomach.<br/>
----<br/>
Merlin was probably being the smart one for once in his life but Arthur had already gotten himself stuck. He had challenged the black knight and he was going to go through with it, though Arthur couldn’t help but be annoyed at the fact that he was probably going to die after just four days of being twenty one.</p><p>	“Merlin, I appreciate the concern but it’s too late. I’m going to fight him, it’s my duty. He already killed two of my knights,” Arthur stated as he swung his sword at the training dummy in front of him, preparing himself for his fight against the black knight the next day.</p><p>“But Arthur, you don’t understand. He’s going to kill you. You saw how he was stabbed but got right back up. He can’t be defeated!” Merlin argued back, panic slowly seeping into his voice. Arthur took one last swing at the dummy before he sighed and turned around.</p><p>	“Merlin, if he kills me, he kills me. How can I be the crown prince- how can I protect my people if I’m not willing to put my life on the line for them?”</p><p>	“Arthur, how can you protect your people if you’re dead?” Arthur truthfully didn’t have an answer for that and kept his mouth closed, leading them into another moment of silence that they had been having more and more often as of late. Except this wasn’t one of the comfortable silences where the two of them silently agreed to stop bickering at each other. This wasn’t one of the comfortable silences that made Arthur’s chest thump like a drum or cause him and Merlin to look at the other with eyes filled with emotions Arthur couldn’t begin to comprehend. No, this was a silence that made Arthur’s blood run cold at the realization that he could very well be leaving this world by this time tomorrow. He had to accept Merlin’s magic wasn’t going to save him this time. If Merlin could’ve done something, he would've done it by now. He just had to hope that either his death was quick and painless or that Merlin would suddenly have a stroke of genius and find a solution in less than twenty four hours.</p><p>	“I just have to believe that I’ll pull through then. Somehow. I Just have to believe,” Arthur simply said as he turned back and started to swing at the training dummy again, half hoping Merlin would understand his words. ‘I just have to believe in you.’</p><p>	When Arthur said he believed in Merlin, he did not mean that he wanted to be knocked out by a sleeping draught and wake up to the sight of the black knight dead through his window, the next day. He definitely did not mean to wake up moments after his father had killed the black knight, holding a sword that reminded Arthur way too much of the way Merlin’s eyes lit up with gold two months ago. Yet that was exactly what happened. So when he ‘accidentally’ doubled Merlin’s chores for the next week, he hoped that the sorcerer would some day understand the reasoning behind the punishment. Though, Arthur couldn’t find himself to be too upset at Merlin. He was still alive, Merlin did once again save him. Arthur surprisingly found a smile slowly making its way onto his face as he laid in bed one night thinking about that. Merlin always somehow found a way to save him. And Arthur couldn’t find himself being too against that.<br/>
----<br/>
Arthur wished Merlin didn’t have to look so shocked when he encountered him in the woods. Yes, maybe Arthur had greeted him by pointing a sword at his back but that was besides the point. After everything they’ve been through, did Merlin really not expect Arthur to sneak away and help Merlin defend his village, his own birthplace? They had already gone behind Uther’s back and smuggled a druid boy away for crying out loud! And if their positions were reversed, Arthur knew that Merlin would be by Arthur’s side in a heartbeat.</p><p>	“Arthur!” Merlin exclaimed happily while his expression turned into a wide smile as he swung the sword he was holding right at Arthur’s head. It seemed that all of Merlin’s abilities had been invested in magic and did not by any means transfer to swordsmanship. Thankful for his quick instincts, Arthur hurriedly ducked down before standing back up and glaring.</p><p>	“Put the sword down, Merlin. You look ridiculous.” Was all Arthur said before stomping off and heading towards where he assumed Merlin, Hunith, Morgana, and Guinevere had set up camp for the night. How the hell was he supposed to keep up the grumpy ‘I definitely don’t know you have magic’ act up when Merlin was just casually shining those bright smiles at him?</p><p>	“How many men does Kanen have?” Arthur later asked while the two of them sat down by the fire Arthur had lit up.</p><p>	“I’m not sure. I think from what my mother’s said, maybe as many as forty.” Merlin replied as he looked over to Arthur. Arthur took a moment to think before responding. He had known that a number of men had attacked the village but forty. The chances of the two of them plus a village of untrained people against an army of forty were… not in their favor. Almost impossible. Unless.</p><p>	“We should get some rest. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow,” Arthur said as he quenched the fire. If it came down to what Arthur was thinking would have to happen, Merlin would especially need all of the rest he could get.</p><p>	“Thank you… um… I know you didn’t have to come,” Merlin quickly spoke up as Arthur was getting up to grab his bedroll. Arthur looked over and felt his heart start to speed up. He wouldn’t be surprised if he just dropped dead from a heart attack at this point from how often his heart took up a mind of its own around Merlin.</p><p>	“Get some sleep,” he swiftly said as he got up and grabbed the bedroll, half aggravated from the nervous warm feeling wrapping its chains around Arthur and half disappointed from the confirmation that Merlin really didn’t believe Arthur would always have his back, even if he wasn’t the best at showing it. If anything, the disappointed look at Arthur’s words on Merlin’s face as Arthur walked by just added a third negative emotion to Arthur’s mind in that moment. Once his bedroll was laid out and he was snuggled in, Arthur pushed his negative emotions to the back of his mind. He had more urgent things to think of right then such as how exactly they were going to deal with Kanen’s men. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it would probably have to come down to Merlin using his magic or they would all end up dead. Arthur could only hope Merlin would somehow pull it off discreetly.<br/>
----<br/>
Will knew about Merlin. It was obvious. There was the first piece of evidence which was that Will and Merlin had known each other since the beginning of their lives. Will was bound to have found out in that much time if Arthur had found out in the first week he knew Merlin. The second piece was the way Will had sent glares and suspicious looks in Arthur’s direction ever since they had arrived in Ealdor. He knew that Merlin had told him that the boy did have a distaste for nobles and yes he saw the dirty glances he also threw in Morgana’s direction but these looks were different. Arthur was fine with Will not liking him, he could deal with it. Plenty of people didn’t like Arthur; For god’s sake he had a sorcerer trying to kill him every other week! But it was rather the other looks peaking Arthur’s interests. The ones Will sent at Arthur while he stood by Merlin where his brows screwed together tightly, his mouth turned into a concerned frown, and his eyes widened slightly in what Arthur could assume was fear. Fear of what? Arthur could only safely assume that Will was highly concerned with the idea that the second Arthur found out about Merlin’s secret, he was being sent to the pyre. Arthur so badly wanted to tell Will that Merlin wasn’t slick and Arthur had already had countless opportunities to send Merlin to his death but, the prince didn’t really know if saying that was quite the right move or not. If anything, he could just laugh about it and tell Will all about his knowledge after this whole fight was over.<br/>
----<br/>
Arthur was always the stupid one. He had no brain. How he ever believed himself to be smart was beyond him. It should’ve been obvious. It was more obvious than Merlin with his magic and a blind man could see that Merlin used magic. If Arthur was even just slightly more intelligent he could’ve realized he had a bloody crush on Merlin. Merlin of all people!</p><p>The realization had started that night when Arthur decided he was going to try to cut it out with the bullshit grumpy ‘I care but I’m going to act like I do not care at all act’. Try being the keyword in that sentence. He couldn’t just allow himself to always put down his walls, and say the words he actually wanted to say to Merlin, especially during the moments when Merlin was acting like a complete blockhead. But he was willing to tune down the act when he and Merlin started to talk about how Merlin didn’t feel like he fit in in Ealdor during his final years living there. About how he didn’t know if he had somewhere to be his true self yet. And from there Arthur wanted - no he knew - that he had to make Camelot the place where Merlin could be himself. Maybe right then Camelot wouldn’t completely accept him, maybe not in a year, maybe not in five, but one day when Arthur was king, he was going to lift the ban on magic and make Camelot the place where Merlin could truly be Merlin. A place where Merlin could be safe.</p><p>Court sorcerer sounded nice, Arthur thought to himself with his eyes closed later in the night. It was long past when Merlin blew out the candle and drifted to sleep on the opposite end of the makeshift bed they were sharing on the floor of Hunith’s house. It would definitely be awhile before he admitted it to him but Merlin deserved much much more than being a manservant. For as idiotic as Merlin could be sometimes, he was courageous, brave, loyal, helpful, sympathetic. He had makings of a good leader, sure he lacked some aspects but Arthur made up for those. And it wasn’t like Arthur didn’t have any flaws as a future leader but he had Merlin to make up for those flaws of his. It wouldn’t be so bad, the two of them ruling together side by side, king and court sorcerer, having Merlin by his side for the rest of this lifetime. Or maybe the two of them could just go to a village like Ealdor. They could sneak away from Camelot in the middle of the night and start their journey to a peaceful village miles away, where they could just relax in the quietness of it. Where there was wasn’t the hustle and bustle of the kingdom. It’d actually be pretty nice… too nice.</p><p>Arthur’s eyes shot open. What the hell was he doing? Daydreaming about abandoning his royal duties and spending the rest of his life with Merlin? Arthur shifted his gaze to look at Merlin’s head laying by his feet. To his own shock, Arthur found himself not disgruntled at the idea of spending the rest of his days with him. It actually did seem like it’d be quite delightful. Arthur let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding and closed his eyes again. People didn’t feel this way about spending their life with friends. They felt this way about… about lovers. Merlin was most definitely not his lover but Arthur couldn’t find himself being adverse to the idea. It was then and there right before Arthur drifted off to the land of sleep that he realized he most likely had feelings that went beyond friendship for Merlin.<br/>
----<br/>
Any hope that the villagers of Ealdor had any chance against Kanen were gone the second Matthew’s body showed up in the village, carried by his horse a few days later and Arthur had no reason not to tell Merlin he thought exactly this.</p><p>	“We need to tell them all to leave the village before Kanen returns,” Arthur said as he and Merlin sat on the stone bench outside of Hunith’s house, a serious glint in his eyes.</p><p>	“No, we’re going to stay. We’re going to fight. And we're going to win,” Merlin retorted with determination as he turned his head to face Arthur.</p><p>	“Merlin, it can’t be done. The odds are too great,” Arthur tuned his expression to meet Merlin’s, which was filled with a burning intensity.</p><p>	“It can. We’re going to make Kanen rue the day he ever came to this village. All you need to do is get the men ready for battle and the rest will take care of itself,” Merlin replied, obviously trying to fill Arthur with inspiration. Arthur wanted to tell Merlin how it wasn’t as simple as ‘the rest will take care of itself’, how there was still the job of having a solid plan,  how everyone would have to be precise with each movement they made lest they were struck down by one of Kanen’s men. It was so much more than just letting things happen. Unless. Was Merlin hinting at what Arthur thought he was hinting at?</p><p>	“How?”</p><p>	“You’ve just got to believe in them,” Merlin answered as if it was the most simple solution in the world, his blue eyes seeming as if they were looking into Arthur’s soul at this point. Though in that moment, Arthur thinks he would’ve probably been willing to let Merlin read everything from his soul, they’re probably was some crazy sorcerer spell to do that. In that moment, Arthur was reminded of the day right before he was supposed to battle the black knight. The day where he told Merlin he believed that things would turn out alright, how sure he felt after he said it. Did Merlin feel that way now, the day before they either won their victory or faced their demise? Did he truly believe in the people he used to live with? Did he truly believe in Hunith and Will, Morgana and Guinevere? Did he truly believe in Arthur?</p><p>	As Merlin continued on with words that supported his answer, Arthur turned to look at the view in front of them. The villagers were improving, that was a fact. But was it enough to believe in? At this point it seemed like the only solution to this issue would be for Merlin to use his magic. Wait. Was Merlin telling Arthur to believe in him?<br/>
----<br/>
Merlin was nervous. Arthur could tell by the way Merlin was swaying as if a tiny breeze could lift him off his feet. By the way his eyes darted around at the ground as if they were trying to decipher every detail. By the way his hands shook as he struggled to buckle up his armor. Arthur couldn’t blame him, if they were to defeat Kanen’s army it would be no small feat. He probably felt just as nervous as Merlin was feeling. Arthur gave in and moved his friend’s hands away from the last buckle and did it himself.</p><p>	“Are you ready?” He asked, looking into Merlin’s eyes and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Arthur hoped Merlin was because he definitely wasn’t.</p><p>	“My throat’s dry,” he responded nervously, his eyes darting around before deciding on returning Arthur’s gaze.</p><p>	“Me too,” Arthur admitted, letting a bit of vulnerability shine through. And then there it was, that silence once again. Arthur felt the speeding up of his heartbeat, the butterflies in his stomach, and the warm gaze Merlin was giving him that he was sure he was returning back. Except this time, he wasn’t trying to push the feeling away, he accepted it with open arms. Arthur held out his arm and Merlin grabbed it in return.</p><p>	“It’s been an honor,” Arthur said, willing his eyes to say more than he could bring his voice to say. Willing them to say how much he had come to appreciate Merlin in the last two and a half months, how much he trusted Merlin, how much he enjoyed his company, how much he just felt feelings he never thought he would towards Merlin. How it almost felt like they were two sides of a coin, as corny as that line sounded in his head. Merlin didn’t speak a word but instead nodded his head and his eyes darting from Arthur’s lips back up to Arthur’s stare, dozens of emotions going through his eyes. Well that was nice to know Merlin most likely shared Arthur’s feelings, though Arthur would’ve much more prefered that realization to have happened when they were not about to end up dead. Well if they somehow both survived this or if Merlin took the risk of using his magic, he’d make sure to let Merlin know about his feelings. For now they both had a more important task at hand. Coincidentally, it always seemed like there was a greater task at hand when Arthur was just starting to figure out Merlin even more. That was truly annoying. If only Arthur’s mind could choose less life threatening and important times to make grand realizations having to do with Merlin. Forcing his mind into battle mode, Arthur gave Merlin’s arm a final shake before letting go and turning to look out of the window, checking to see if Kanen’s army was approaching yet. It was only a matter of time before they marched up to Ealdor.</p><p>“Whatever happens out there today, please don’t think any differently of me,” Merlin said. What could that mean? Was Merlin worried that Arthur would truly get mad at Merlin for being scared? Even after he admitted he felt fearful too?</p><p>	“I won’t. It’s alright to be scared, Merlin,” Arthur reassured him as he turned back around to look at Merlin. The boy still looked terrified. If it weren’t for Merlin’s next words he might’ve made a mood in that moment to comfort him.</p><p>	“That’s not what I meant.” What? What could’ve Merlin meant then? Merlin’s expression changed into something different as he stared at the prince. </p><p>“What is it?” Arthur asked. Merlin kept his same stare on Arthur, deciding to keep quiet for the moment.  What was Merlin trying to say? Was he going to go ahead and confess his feelings for Arthur here and now? Arthur could definitely make the assumption Merlin returned his feelings but he could never be too sure. Though Merlin’s expression didn’t give off the confession sort of impression. It was a rather serious one instead. Almost as if he was going to reveal a deep dark secret. But what secrets could Merlin have other than the one about his mag- oh. Oh. That was exactly what Merlin was about to do.</p><p>“If you’ve got something to say, now’s the time to say it,” Arthur spoke again, hoping to encourage Merlin just to say it already. Merlin stayed silent for a little longer before he opened his mouth to speak. Arthur gave a little nod and held his breath in anticipation, this was when it happened. This was where Merlin reveals his magic, Arthur says he already had known for months now, and then Merlin uses his magic to save the day. As quickly as Merlin opened his mouth, he snapped it shut and his eyes shot to somewhere behind Arthur. Before Arthur could question what made Merlin have second doubts about telling Arthur he had magic, he heard Morgana’s voice from the doorway in back of him.</p><p>“Arthur, they’ve crossed the river,” she said before heading out the door. Arthur officially hated the world now. All doubts he had about winning the battle were gone now. Arthur was going to go up and strangle Kanen himself for not waiting one more damn minute so Arthur could just hear Merlin say he had magic just once. Just for one time. Was that so much to ask for? Almost feeling as if he was boling from frustration, Arthur promptly spun around and made his way to the door, not missing the flash of disappointment that shone in Merlin’s eyes. He was half way out the door before he stopped suddenly in his steps and turned back around, anger leaving his body. Arthur could be a very impatient man at times, and this whole ordeal was testing the last shred of patience Arthur had left. If the universe was going to find every which way to prevent Merlin from admitting his secret to Arthur, Arthur was just going to take matters into his own hands.</p><p>“Merlin, I already know about your magic. Do whatever you need to do.” It felt like a weight lifted off his chest, with each word he spoke he felt lighter and lighter. Finally. Finally! He was able to say it! To just let Merlin know he knew. And that look on his face. He looked so shocked! That expression was worth all the months he had to endure keeping his mouth shut and playing the fool. With those last words, Arthur turned back around and walked out the door, Merlin right at his heels, a million questions ready right on the edge of his tongue that Arthur would happily answer once Kanen was no more.<br/>
----<br/>
It seemed like life just wanted to spite him at this point, Arthur thought to himself somberly as he watched the flames burn the wooden structure where Will’s corpse laid inside of. The universe spent months torturing Arthur with the knowledge that Merlin was a sorcerer and finally when Arthur just spit out the words to him, the universe rewarded Arthur with the only casualty of the townsfolk that day being Merlin’s best friend. The prince turned his head and looked at Merlin who was standing next to him, tears threatening to leave his eyes. Arthur’s heart sunk at the sight, any words of comfort he could offer gone from his head. He took a second more to search his head for any words that could measure to some sort of alleviation.</p><p>	“I’m sorry. I know he was a close friend,” he elected for, internally cringing at how blunt his words sounded to his own ears. But Arthur really did mean it, he was sorry. He thought about his own guilt as the memory of earlier that day played through his head. If it weren’t for Arthur turning his back on Kanen and trying to convey the message of ‘I can’t believe you just summoned a bloody tornado to take out Kanen’s army’ to Merlin with his eyes, maybe he could’ve avoided the last resort arrow sent by the dying man. Before Arthur could barely catch a glance at the arrow sent his way, arms were pushing him out of the arrow’s path and a pained grunt could be heard. Though it was only a couple of minutes, it felt like an eternity when Will fell to the ground and Merlin and Arthur were carrying him into the nearest house. But it felt like nowhere near enough time was left when Will and Merlin were saying their final words to each other, Arthur deciding to try to be an almost invisible shadow at the right side of the bed Will laid in.</p><p>	“That’s twice, I’ve saved your life now,” Will said with pain filling the edges of his voice and he looked to Arthur.</p><p>	“What?”</p><p>	“The tornado earlier, that was me,” he lied as he looked into Arthur’s eyes. Not knowing what he was supposed to say, Arthur Immediately looked up to meet Merlin’s, who was standing on the other side of the bed, slightly surprised eyes. What was he supposed to say to that? Though, Arthur wasn’t surprised that Will would try to take the blame for his friend as long as it kept Merlin safe. He’d do the same. But Arthur and Merlin knew Will didn’t need to do that. That Arthur had already known and there was no use to lying. That whatever Arthur was going to do about Merlin having magic, he was going to do it regardless of if he summoned the tornado or not. Arthur thought about telling Will he already knew and didn’t have to lie for Merlin but there was no time. Of course there was no time, when was there ever time these days? Arthur decided on looking back towards Will, giving a nod, and saying “thank you” instead.</p><p>	“Heh, it’s kind of a good thing I’m dying here when you think of it, Merlin. He can’t burn me on the pyre now,” Will looked back at Merlin and attempted to joke. Merlin’s eyes lingered on Arthur’s a second longer, a question in his eyes that made Arthur’s blood run cold, before he brought his attention back to Will. ‘Are you going to burn me on the pyre?’, he had easily read from the worried blue stare.</p><p>	“He still is,” Merlin’s curt reply brought Arthur out of his memory and back to the present. Arthur snuck a quick side glance at Merlin. He was standing deadly still, eyes looking at the fire as if he wanted to kill the flames himself. Arthur opened his mouth to try to make another attempt at comforting words but decided against it. Arthur was never a person good with words, he’d always been someone who spoke with actions. Deciding on letting his actions speak for him, Arthur hesitantly lifted his arm and put his hand behind Merlin’s back, only the tips of his fingers just barely touching the fabric of Merlin’s jacket. The manservant turned his head to look at Arthur, a questioning look on his face and his eyes filled with a deep despair. One look into his eyes and Arthur sucked up his nervousness, pushing more pressure onto Merlin’s back with his hand and rubbing comforting circles. Merlin stiffened for a second before leaning into the touch and looking back to the flames. Though the look in his eyes didn’t look anywhere near as murderous as before. They just looked… sad. And Arthur didn’t know which look in Merlin’s eyes he’d rather have to bear to see then.<br/>
----<br/>
Arthur was pretty sure it’d be a smart decision to wait until a later date to gloat in Merlin’s face about how he had known about his magic for so long. Arthur knew Merlin was certainly not in the mood to be teased for his obliviousness when they had finally returned to Camelot from Ealdor. Merlin had been deadly silent both during their last night in Ealdor and on their way back to the kingdom, only speaking when necessary. Arthur had hoped that he would start to speak more when Merlin came up to his chambers the next morning once they got back to their daily routine but Merlin had said barely any more words. Even worse, he was actually calling Arthur ‘sire’ non sarcastically. Half way through the day Arthur finally gave in and told Merlin he was dismissed for the rest of the day and that he would have off for as long as he needed. Merlin murmured a very quiet “thanks” and left the room, not to be seen by Arthur until a little over a week later.</p><p>	“Rise and shine!” Merlin’s voice awoke Arthur from his sleep as light flooded into his room from what he could assume was opened curtains. Arthur slowly opened his eyes, dozens of complaints on the edge of his tongue but opted to hold them back for once not wanting to disrupt the first happy mood he had seen from Merlin since Ealdor.</p><p>	“Merlin! You’re back,” Arthur decided to say instead, a smile making its way onto his face.</p><p>	“Yeah, I couldn’t leave you without your favorite manservant,” Merlin teased as he placed breakfast on the table. Arthur jokingly rolled his eyes in response as he got out of his bed and made his way to the table, a bad feeling in his stomach. Something wasn’t right.</p><p>	“Sit with me,” Arthur said as he sat down into his chair. Merlin went and sat down at the opposite side of the table, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Arthur gave Merlin a careful look before speaking, “You’re still upset.” Merlin’s false smile immediately dropped and he looked towards the window.</p><p>	“Sorry, it’s just everything that’s happened, you know?” Arthur nodded in response to Merlin’s words.</p><p>	“Of course. Losing a friend like that would take a toll on even the strongest soldiers. If you need more time off you’re welcome to take it,” Arthur responded, going to take a bite of his food before pausing.</p><p>	“Or if you need someone to talk to I’m always here. Or of course I’m sure Morgana and Gwen would happily listen also,” he said, adding on the part of ‘Morgana and Gwen’ when he caught the shocked expression on Merlin’s face.</p><p>	“Thank you but I’ve taken enough time off,” Merlin gave off a real smile for once. Not the happy joy filled one that made Arthur feel like he was on top of the world with flowers and hearts raining down but rather a sad one that made Arthur feel like he was right back in the moment that the arrow pierced Will’s chest. “But yeah, there is something I do need to talk to you about,” Merlin continued on.</p><p>	“Yes, what is it?” Arthur didn’t know what he was expecting Merlin to say. Maybe something about how Will’s death made him feel like he was falling down a never ending cavern or something else along those lines. For some reason, it didn’t dawn on Arthur that he and Merlin had yet to actually discuss the topic of Merlin’s magic and Merlin probably half believed he was going to wake up on the pyre one day.</p><p>	“Am I going to be sent to the pyre?” Merlin looked back at Arthur and asked, causing Arthur to cough on the sip of water he was in the middle of swallowing.</p><p>	“What? No, of course not! I’m not going to send you to be set on fire,” Arthur answered, his tone filled with bewilderment.</p><p>	“Are you going to strike me down now then?” Merlin asked next.</p><p>	“No, no. You are not getting killed, Merlin,” Arthur said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. How could Merlin still believe Arthur would send him to his death? It was one thing for him to be wary of Arthur but believing Arthur would kill Merlin? Arthur had way more than enough time to end Merlin’s life. If he was going to do it - which he never would - he would’ve done it by now.</p><p>	“Banished?” Arthur let out an exasperated sigh at Merlin’s next question.</p><p>	“Merlin. Nothing is going to happen. My father doesn’t even know. You’re not going to get punished. Your secret’s safe with me,” Arthur attempted to reassure his friend. Merlin’s eyes lit up a little at that.</p><p>	“Yeah?”</p><p>	“Yeah.” Arthur nodded his head.<br/>
----<br/>
It wasn’t until the next month when Merlin’s mood had significantly lightened up and Arthur almost shot a unicorn that Arthur was finally able to tell Merlin how incredibly obvious Merlin was with his magic. Arthur had the perfect shot lined up to hit the unicorn before Merlin was yelling ‘No!’ and was tackling Arthur down to the ground.</p><p>	“Bloody hell, what are you doing, Merlin?” Arthur exclaimed as he attempted to get himself out of the tangle of their limbs. Once he was free, the prince hastily checked over the bushes he was behind to see if the unicorn was still there. To his despair, the unicorn was long gone, probably started by the noise.</p><p>	“What was that for?” Arthur continued on as he whipped his head to look back at Merlin. “I almost had it!”</p><p>	“No, Arthur I remember reading about unicorns in one of Gaius’s books,” Merlin rushed to explain as he got off the ground before continuing. “I’m pretty sure if you kill one it unleashes some horrid curse. Something along the lines of droughts and famine.” Arthur balled up his fists into tight balls before letting his hands relax and going to pick up his crossbow.</p><p>	“Oh,” was all he said, his pride not wanting Merlin to feel satisfaction at being the smart one this time. But of course like everything else that had to do with Merlin, it wasn’t that simple.</p><p>	“See? Aren’t you glad I stopped you now? Maybe you should listen to your genius manservant more,” Merlin smugly said, looking much too proud of himself with a smirk on his face. That ridiculous smirk. If Arthur didn’t see that moment as the perfect lead way into telling Merlin how he was actually far from a genius manservant he probably would’ve kissed that smirk right off of Merlin’s mouth.</p><p>	“Ah, well see, that’s where you're wrong,” Arthur replied as the two of them began to walk deeper in the woods. “You’re not a genius manservant.”</p><p>	“What? Why not?” Merlin asked, still keeping that infuriating smirk on his face.</p><p>	“If you were such a genius you wouldn’t have been so obvious with that magic of yours,” Arthur answered before adding on, “I’ve known since my fight against Valiant.” Arthur watched with much satisfaction as Merlin’s face immediately dropped.</p><p>	“You knew for that long? But that wasn’t even a week after I meant you!” Merlin exclaimed, embarrassment making its way onto his face.</p><p>	“Like I said, you were and still are very obvious. It baffles me how you manage to continue to become less and less discreet as the months go by, though I don’t think there ever was a time where you were actually discreet. One would think you would gain more skill in hiding a secret like this as time went on rather than being one step away from revealing it to the entire kingdom,” Arthur explained before stopping at a tree and sitting against the trunk, motioning for Merlin to sit next to him.</p><p>	“What? No! I’m still discreet,” Merlin disagreed as he sat down and crossed his arms.</p><p>	“Oh really? Then let me name some events in which you were quite the opposite,” Arthur began, multiple situations ready at the tip of his tongue. “Well there was the fight with Valiant which I already mentioned, so no use in explaining that. There was the time when you announced that you were a sorcerer right to my father. It was not very fun trying to save your butt from becoming firewood. Oh right! And then later that day when we were fighting that afanc, you said a spell right behind Morgana and I. If that wasn’t already obvious enough, my flame did go just a few feet more than normal in front of me seconds later. Oh and my favorite time when you made the keys float. Merlin, how much of an idiot do you make me out to be to not notice a ring of keys floating right next to my ear? I know you don’t think highly of my intelligence but even you have to know I’m not that stupid. Or there was when you summoned an entire tornado to take out Kanen’s soldiers. If I was somehow dumb enough to not notice the magic until then, I would’ve known immediately when I saw wind just happening to spin in front of you.”</p><p>Arthur paused relishing in the way Merlin’s expression morphed from irritation, to surprise, to finally settling on embarrassment. “Should I keep on going or should I spare you?” Arthur teased, letting himself be the one with the infuriating smirk that time. Merlin glared at the prince before rolling his eyes and turning his head away.</p><p>“There’s something I’m confused about, though. If you knew for so long, why didn’t you say anything?” Merlin asked as he turned his head back to face Arthur, changing the subject. Arthur gave a shrug before answering.</p><p>“I thought about it at first. You’d think it’d be the obvious thing to do, confront the person whose job is to be around you during the majority of the day, that happens to have something you’ve been taught is evil your whole life. But I didn’t know what to say at first or what to do. Yes you were and are a pretty unconventional manservant but I never thought you to be a danger to me. Eventually I just stopped trying to figure out what to do and decided to continue to go along with things. I grew to trust you, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, since you did save both Camelot and my own life from danger way more than I know most people would think of doing. I trusted that you’d tell me when the time was right and you almost did back in Ealdor. If Kanen hadn’t showed up when he did, I know you would’ve said it before me that day,” Arthur explained before smiling and adding on another sentence. “Not to be sentimental but the simple answer is because I trusted you, Merlin. I still do.” Merlin’s mouth parted a little in surprise.</p><p>“Arthur- I- Thank you,” Merlin responded, his mouth breaking into that soft but breathtaking smile that made Arthur feel like he was floating.</p><p>“Of course.” The two basked in the comfortable silence until it was interrupted by Arthur speaking again.</p><p>“So, since we know I’m not going to strike you down or banish you, how about a magic trick?” Arthur found himself wanting to see Merlin’s magic not by accident for once. He found himself wanting to see that golden look in Merlin’s eyes again.</p><p>“A magic trick? What would you want to see?” Merlin asked, a soft laughter following afterwards. Arthur thought for a moment, a few ideas going through his head.</p><p>“Hmmm… a dragon?” Arthur finally suggested.</p><p>“Of course you’d want me to make a dragon, Mr. Pendragon,” Merlin rolled his eyes but brought his hands up and started to conjure the said object. Arthur watched in quiet amazement as leaves started to move themselves in the space between Merlin’s hands, beginning to form the shape of a miniature dragon. Convinced that Merlin’s eyes were focused only on the creation he was in the middle of making, Arthur lifted his gaze to Merlin’s eyes. The prince sucked in a breath as he saw the golden hue he had waited months to see once again. Before he had told himself that the color in Merlin’s eyes looked unnatural… almost dangerous. But now all Arthur could think about was how right the color looked in Merlin’s eyes, the only danger being how much the sight made Arthur’s heart race. Suddenly Merlin’s line of vision flittered to Arthur’s, the gold vanishing.</p><p>“You know, you could’ve just asked to see my eyes instead of asking for a magic trick,” Merlin quipped, that smirk on his face again. Arthur’s head snapped to stare at the leaf dragon instead, his face heating up. That was no fair. Why did Arthur have to be the embarrassed one now?</p><p>“Who said I was looking at your eyes?” He attempted to deny as he watched the dragon breathe out a puff of air before separating into the leaves it was made out of, falling back to the ground.</p><p>“It may be shocking for you to hear, sire. But you’re quite obvious yourself, too.”</p><p>“How so?” Arthur asked, turning his head back to Merlin. He didn’t know his face could get any warmer when Merlin leaned a little forward.</p><p>“Well I might have reason to believe that your sudden interest in my eyes adds to the evidence of my theory that you may have feelings for a certain magical and spectacularly intelligent friend of yours.” It was almost like that moment right before the battle against Kanen, minus the fear that the two of them might not make it to the end of the day. Merlin’s eyes were dead set on staring at Arthur’s lips, his face only inches away. Arthur gulped, fully expecting Merlin to lean forward and close the distance between them. So when Merlin leaned back, that shit eating smirk still planted on his face, Arthur found his embarrassment immediately getting replaced with annoyment. That expression on his friend’s face was testing the very limits of his patience.</p><p>“But I don’t know. Apparently I’m not the brightest according to you, so I’m probably wrong.” Merlin’s eyes looked up to the sky, where the sun was starting to go down, before looking back at Arthur. “Oh, look at that. It’s getting late. We should probably start heading back now.” And that was when Arthur’s patience ran out. Before Merlin could make a move to stand up Arthur’s hand shot to Merlin’s shoulder and brought his lips to Merlin’s. The kiss ended as fast as it had started. It wasn’t much more than a simple peck on the lips but it was way more than enough for Arthur. Anything was more than enough for Arthur when it came to Merlin. And judging by the way Merlin’s lips morphed into that gentle smile again, Arthur could safely assume the same thing for Merlin.</p><p>“Actually, I think you may be right for once,” was all Arthur said before the two leaned in again. As infuriating as the last five months had been at times, Arthur could only find himself thankful for where they had led him to in that moment.</p>
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